"The four Champions League teams have the finance to attack that with two squads, really, whereas we are attacking a competition that has many more games, a heavier schedule and a more difficult night, Thursday night, with a much-reduced squad, so of course it's much more difficult for us.

"You have only got to look at the other two clubs in the competition and we are all having very similar seasons at the moment - and they are stronger clubs than us, financially.

"It just goes to show you that it does make a big impact on your Premier League situation.

"But you want to be in a competition that gives you some fighting chance in your own league, and this is very difficult, and we all know that as Premier League managers.

"It's whispered about. 'Blimey, that's going to be tough for you next year' - that's all heard during the summer - and it has been.

"I do feel that perhaps it needs to be looked at a little bit. Whether Spanish clubs and German clubs have that same opinion, I'm not sure.

"If we get the three points tomorrow, we go through and that will just be another different atmosphere in the squad.

"As a player, you just want to go into every game and get the three points. When I watched the team last season, it looked like they could go for five games or 10 games unbeaten.

"But these things happen in football, so we just have to get our heads up and make sure we get the next three points."